Severino (12-2) struck out nine in seven dominant innings, lowering his ERA to 2.10. The ace has allowed three runs or less in 16 of 17 starts.

”It would mean a lot,” Severino said about taking the mound in the Midsummer Classic on July 17. ”But I’m thinking about five more days and what hitters I’ll be facing.”

Jake Arrieta (5-6) had another rough outing for Philadelphia, which had won four consecutive series before losing two straight to the Yankees. Arrieta gave up six runs – three earned – and nine hits in five innings.

Another sellout crowd in Philly made it sound like a home game for the Bronx Bombers, cheering loudly for the team with the best record in the majors. Meanwhile, Phillies fans tried to drown them out by chanting ”E-A-G-L-E-S.”

Hicks hit Arrieta’s third pitch of the game out to straightaway center for his 11th homer. Arrieta was 0-4 with a 6.66 ERA in five starts in June after posting a 0.90 ERA in five starts last month.

An error by second baseman Cesar Hernandez led to three unearned runs in the third. Arrieta has allowed 14 unearned runs this season and has expressed frustration with the team’s defense. The 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner is earning $30 million this season as part of a $75 million, three-year contract he signed as a free agent in March.

With two runners on, Gregorius hit a grounder to Hernandez that should have been an inning-ending double play. But Hernandez flipped wide to shortstop Scott Kingery and all three runners were safe. Arrieta struck out Giancarlo Stanton for the second out. But Gleyber Torres hit a two-run single past third baseman Maikel Franco’s diving attempt. Greg Bird followed with a bloop single to left to make it 4-0.

”It’s always difficult when you get a grounder and we don’t make the play,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. ”We win and lose as a team.”

Austin Romine led off the fourth with a double, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Hicks’ sacrifice fly. Gregorius drove his 15th homer out to right-center in the fifth.

Severino has come a long way in less than two seasons. He was 0-8 with an 8.50 ERA in 11 starts in 2016. But the 24-year-old righty finished third in AL Cy Young voting last year and went to the All-Star Game. Now he’s one of the elite pitchers in baseball.

”Every time I get the ball, I want to win,” he said.

Severino’s fastball was consistently in the upper 90s against the overmatched Phillies.

Adam Warren and Chasen Shreve each tossed one inning to finish off the six-hitter for the Yankees (52-25).

CONSISTENCY

Severino has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 14 consecutive starts, the longest such streak by a Yankees starter since 2014 [url=http://www.ravensauthorizedshops.com/authentic-lamar-jackson-jersey]Authentic Lamar Jackson Jersey[/url] , when Masahiro Tanaka did it in 16 straight. His 12 wins are the most by a Yankees pitcher before the All-Star break since Tanaka had 12 in 2014.

STREAKING

Kingery has a career-best seven-game hitting streak.

GLOVE WORK

Hicks made a superb catch to rob Rhys Hoskins of extra bases in the eighth, leaping a few feet in front of the wall to grab a deep drive to left-center.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: Tanaka, on the 10-day disabled list since June 9 with strained left and right hamstrings, threw his second bullpen session. Boone isn’t sure what the next step will be in Tanaka’s rehab.

Phillies: RHP Pat Neshek allowed one run and two hits in one inning in a rehab appearance at Double-A Reading. Neshek, an All-Star last year, hasn’t pitched this season because of shoulder strain.

UP NEXT

RHP Luis Cessa (0-0, 3.00 ERA) will make his first start for the Yankees since last August 14 on Wednesday night. RHP Zach Eflin (5-2, 3.42 ERA) takes the mound for Philadelphia in the series finale.

—

Carlos Correa and the Houston Astros won their 11th straight game, finishing off a 10-0 trip by rallying past the Kansas City Royals 7-4 on Sunday.

The World Series champion Astros swept their swing through Texas, Oakland and Kansas City, outscoring opponents 74-35. Last season, Houston had an 11-game winning streak end in Kansas City. This time, the Astros trailed 4-3 in the eighth inning before Correa led off with a tying homer. Evan Gattis, who had three hits [url=http://www.buffalobillsteamonline.com/tremaine-edmunds-jersey]Authentic Tremaine Edmunds Jersey[/url] , then put them ahead during a three-run burst.

Correa has three home runs and eight RBIs in six games after missing four games with discomfort in his right side. He had a first-inning single and added a sacrifice fly in the ninth.

Gattis hit .366 with five home runs and 19 RBIs on the Astros’ trip. He singled home Yuli Gurriel in the eighth, and Marvin Gonzalez added an RBI single in the inning.

The Royals have lost six straight and 12 of 13. They have dropped 26 of 36 home games.

Brandon Maurer (0-3) took the loss, facing two batters and having both score. Tony Sipp (2-0) picked up the victory. Hector Rondon closed for his fourh save.

RAYS 3, YANKEES 1

NEW YORK (AP) – Wilmer Font held the high-scoring Yankees in check in the latest Tampa Bay game ”started” by a reliever, and the Rays held off New York to avoid a sweep.

Matt Duffy drove in two runs with a second-inning single for his first multi-RBI game in over a month. Carlos Gomez had an RBI double as Tampa Bay scored all three runs in the second against CC Sabathia (4-2).

Tampa Bay beat New York for the first time this season. The Yankees opened the season with five straight wins, outscoring the Rays 31-10 over the games, and was trying for a four-game sweep.

Font turned in his best performance of the year in any role, allowing just one run in 4 2-3 innings with five strikeouts. Tampa Bay used a reliever to open for the 15th time in 29 games. Entering the day, relievers working as starters had allowed 13 earned runs in 18 innings.

Chaz Roe (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the victory. Sergio Romo, who has also drawn five starts this season, closed for his third save.

Aaron Hicks homered off Font in the fifth – it was actually the second homer of the day. Hours earlier, the Yankees held the 72nd Old-Timers’ Day and Nick Swisher hit a long drive to right field. Hall of Famers Whitey Ford and Reggie Jackson were joined by the likes of Don Larsen, Willie Randolph, Andy Pettitte and Jason Giambi. Current New York manager Aaron Boone took part for the first time.

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Jack Flaherty and four relievers combined on a four-hitter, Matt Carpenter homered and St. Louis snapped a season-high four-game skid.

Flaherty allowed just two hits while striking out seven in five innings, but he walked three and hit two batters and was pulled after throwing 97 pitches.

John Brebbia (1-1) worked around two hits in a scoreless sixth inning to earn his first major league win. Austin Gomber, Jordan Hicks and Bud Norris each pitched a hitless inning to finish the shutout and prevent the Cubs from getting their first series sweep in St. Louis since Sept. 13-15, 2010.

Harrison Bader, Tommy Pham, and Marcell Ozuna strung together singles to open the sixth inning. Pham’s single extended his hitting streak to a National League-best 11 games to chase Jose Quintana (6-5) from the game.

Bader scored the game’s first run when Yadier Molina grounded into a double play and Jedd Gyorko’s RBI single drove in Pham to make it 2-0. Carpenter hit his 10th home run of the season and second of this series in the seventh off Brian Duensing.

METS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 3

PHOENIX (AP) – Brandon Nimmo and Asdrubal Cabrera homered off Brad Boxberger in a four-run ninth inning and New York rallied to beat Arizona.

The Diamondbacks led 3-1 entering the ninth and Boxberger (1-3), with his third blown save in 20 tries, struck out the first two batters.

Jose Reyes reached on a bunt single and scored on Jose Bautista’s pinch-hit double to cut the lead to 3-1. Nimmo, who doubled and scored in the first inning, followed with a two-run shot to right field to put New York ahead 4-3 and Cabrera’s solo shot made it 5-3.

The Mets split the four-game series in Arizona and won consecutive games for the first time since May 20-21. The Diamondbacks were 4-3 on the homestand.

Jeurys Familia (3-3), just off the disabled list, allowed a run in an inning of relief to get the victory. Robert Gsellman pitched the ninth for his third save in seven tries.

Rockies closer Wade Davis (0-2) retired only one batter while walking four and allowing singles to Rougned Odor and Trevino. A rookie catcher, Trevino entered his third major league game in the top of the ninth. He is 2 for 8 for Texas, including a tying single in Saturday’s 5-2 victory.

Colorado took a 5-1 lead in the seesaw game. The Rangers scored five runs to take a 6-5 lead in the sixth, including Jurickson Profar’s three-run homer off starter Jon Gray.

The Rockies responded with a five-run seventh to go ahead 10-6. Colorado’s Gerardo Parra drove in four runs, three on a bases-clearing double in the seventh.

Texas pulled to 10-9 with three runs in the seventh. Trevor Story hit a two-run homer in the Colorado ninth against Jesse Chavez (3-1).